Father, my father
by Serina L33t Mistress
Summary: New generation fic. The war of Leaf and Sound has taken on a new generation. As the hidden villages take sides a new hero rises from the ashes to finish what her father started.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto. Never have, doubt I ever will. sigh (mumbles about cruel people with no hearts). But, BUT I do own the original characters (a.k.a. the new happy pretty ones that I made up!) and They're all mine. Mine I Tell You! MINE!

Ok enough ego obsession. I wrote this because I can and 'cause The Great Lord Cythuulu, destroyer of all things and praiser of my genius, told me to. Take that! I will try to provide some entertainment for my readers but bare with me this is my first time. blushes be gentle. I like helpful hints, emphasis on helpful. Asinine comments will be treated with sarcasm and, depending on my mood; scorn (mumbles something about 'not to mention vengeance'). Suggestions are appreciated. I have a limited inspiration period so anything to help me focus is esteemed. Anyhoo enjoy.

Back story: Naruto and Sakura are currently both 19. My story branches off the the Naruto series sometime after manga chapter 245 or so (after Naruto returns to Konoha after three years training, but before Gaara is abducted.) Naruto gained the rank of anbu gaining the respect of those he worked with as one of the greatest ninjas in the village. Sakura is eight months pregnant with their first child.

At this point Orochimaru has taken over the body of Uchicha Sasuke and is currently waging war on the Leaf while simultaneously conniving to control the hidden Cloud and Mist, not to mention everyone else. Add this to just being his normal asshole self and you get trouble. Yep, just status quo.

Naruto has just been bought back from a battle against Akatsuki where he was stabbed through the lung close to his heart. Already vastly depleted of chakra he is unable to heal the wound even with Kyuubi's help. (In this battle he killed off nearly all of the nine Akatsuki, I'll go into it more l8r.)

Warning: This fic contains abominable language and possibly improper content that my parents may not find appropriate for their children. For those of you who couldn't care less Buyah Read On!

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"**Kyuubai speech"**

'**Kyuubai thoughts'**

**&& scene change**

blah special scene change

&&the beginning and ending of chapters&&&

&&&&& Prelude &&&&

: written to the song "Rain" from the Cowboy Bebop series:

Deep within the fire country in a hidden ninja village known as Kanoha a woman's wail keened out at the injustice in her life. Uzumaki Sakura clung to the lifeless body of her husband searching desperately for a sign of life she knew she would not find. She barely felt the hands reluctantly pulling her away from her beloved, absently batting them away too focused on the wide unseeing blue eyes staring up into space. Finally her weeping sensei dragged her away, forcing her to lie down on a near by bed. The off-white walls of the Kanoha hospital surrounded her, giving off a cold feeling of indifference to her sorrows. Sakura did not feel the pain or the sudden wetness that announced her water had broken, she was not cogent enough to come to terms with the fact that she was about to give birth a full month early. Nothing seemed real to her but the numbing pain of loss. Her last thoughts before her practical side forced her to breath and push in time to the mounting contractions were of his final words and the realization of what she now had to do.

Tsunade bellowed for Shizune while propping pillows behind Sakura. Her mind acting on its own drew forth the proper medical procedures to the front of her thoughts, allowing her to shut out the sorrow over her adopted little brother's death and focus on the situation before her. Gathering chakra to the tips of her fingers she placed them on her apprentices distended stomach and allowed her awareness to flow within as the contractions rippled under the skin. Sakura screamed as the pain hit her, chocking on her sobs as she tried to steady her breathing. Feeling her presence behind her Tsunade directed her to help hold down Sakura without even looking up from her task. The child like its father was impatient, sensing its mother's stress it decided to come out now. Pushing down her awareness she checked to see how dilated the mother was. 'Shit' Tsunade thought to herself. The child was coming out, no question about it, but Sakura's body was taking this a lot better then it should. By all accounts her body shouldn't be half as far along as it was.

'Damn it! What happened between them.' Thinking back to the thirty minutes before when Naruto had been dragged in with a hole in his chest. As her mind slipped elsewhere Tsunade's hands worked through the necessary birthing process.

Flashback

Tsunade ran pushing through anything in her way panic griping her heart as she made her way to the emergency room in the Konoha hospital. News that her favorite little brother was in with serious wounds pulled at her heart strings. Seeing a group of anbu gathered outside a room ahead of her, she pushed past them not stopping for an explanation as she entered the emergency ward. A large circular seal marked the floor, drawing the eye to a bloodied form struggling to breathe as blood pooled beneath him marring the tracing patterns. She paused as her old fear of blood rose within her. 'Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…' she kept repeating in her mind. She stood frozen, eyes wide, breathing sharp and shallow unable to regain control. 'No Naruto. No, not again. Please not again' her mind flashed back to the deaths of her little brother and her boyfriend. Trapped in her own mind the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf went into shock.

Shizune continued to push chakra into the dying anbu inwardly wailing at her inability to stop the young man's bleeding. Beside her an obviously pregnant woman labored to keep her husband awake, pulling any distraction she could think of to get him to focus on her and staying alive. 'Please' she said to herself 'please don't leave me Naruto.'

Naruto wore a wry smile as he gazed at the confusion around him. Medics scurried back and forth obeying the orders of a sharp mouthed Shizune. His two former teachers stood worried in the corner, knowing that they would only be a hindrance if they sought to get involved.

Leaning by the door was his poker faced partner, Anbu Hyuuga Neji. No real expression crossed his face, but the slight tightening of the muscles around the famous Hyuuga eyes betrayed his worry. He knew Naruto had expanded too much of his chakra while fighting against the Akatsuki, it was highly unlikely that he would survive this night, but Naruto was never one to do the expected. He would pull through. There was no other outcome.

A great bellow shook the room as a chakra enhanced punch took care of the room's door and its surrounding wall.

Rapidly glazing, blue eyes slid from the sobbing woman to the new entrance. Ah there she was. He had been wondering when she would get here, the right side of Naruto's lips quirked in the mimicry of amusement. 'Too late 'baa-chan. Can't do much now' he thought wryly.

Naruto struggled to lift his hand, shakily reaching up to brush against Sakura's cheek.

"sa..ku..ra…"

Sakura's watery eyes flickered to meet the fogy sapphire, blue of her husband's, leaning into the shaky caress. "Hold on, Naruto. Hold on… d-don't you d-dare… l-leave me" her voice, husky from trying to retain some control of her emotions, stumbled over the words.

Naruto near smirked at her stubborn refusal to see reality when it went against her will. "beloved…" cough-cough a dribble of blood slipped past his lips, rolling down his jaw to pool by his neck. "need to tal-" his voice failed him sparking off a coughing fit.

Sakura slipped her hands beneath his head and shoulders to try and support him, shifting him so his head rested upon her lap, as much as it could with her belly sticking out over her lap. As the fit ended, she leaned down bringing her ear close to his mouth straining to hear his faint voice. After a few minutes in that position the pink clad head rose to address her old sensei.

"Out."

When the blonde Hokage made no move to leave Sakura raised her voice to include all the remaining shinobe in the room.

"GET OUT NOW!"

One look at the mourning woman's face and Neji shifted from his place at the wall and grabbed the dying blonde's perverted sensei's and pulled them from the room.

Tsunaide snapped out of her daze at the raised voice, searching the young woman's eyes she inwardly cringed at what she found behind them. Stone, hard chiseled stone reflected within their emerald depths, her seeming indifferent appearance was belied by the flood of tears cascading down her pale cheeks. Tsunaide's heart clenched at the steel in Sakura's gaze. She bit down on her lip stifling the protest that was begging to be let lose. With visible effort she tore her gaze away from Sakura and proceeded to pull the protesting Shizune through the gaping hole in the wall, and out into the hall.

Now alone Sakura looked down into the fading cerulean blue eyes of the man who had captured her heart two years past and protected long before. Never had she thought to lose the indomitable blonde, unconsciously thinking him incapable of truly mortal damage. She cringed bitterly at her childish naivety. Of course it was possible to lose him, their profession guarantied the possibility, but she had stubbornly refused to think on the likelihood of his death.

Naruto looked up at the woman that embodied his hopes and dreams. Since first meeting her all those years ago his affection for her had matured from a childish crush to full blown love.

"**Oh how delightfully touching" **came a deep sarcastic voice in his head.

'Shut up you fucking fur ball'

"**Humph hardly your best come back Kit."**

'Yah well you're not the one with the gaping hole in your chest.'

"……**." **

'That's what I thought. Now what the fuck do I do now? We only have a few minutes left before my chakra system breaks down and my innards crumple with it."

A pause answered Naruto. The Kyuubi was unusually silent, normally he have come back with a witty retort on Naruto's ineptness, now…nothing. Just an odd slightly ominous quiet hung in the inner regions of his mind.

"**Tell her."**

'WHAT!'

"**Tell her to go Now."**

'ARE YOU FUCKING NUTS! I'm not going to-'

"**Tell her to leave as soon as possible. Get her out of the village; they'll come after her as soon as they regroup. Don't leave her here where they can find her and the pup."**

'I'm not going to send her out there alone with _My Child!_'

"**You forget the pup is _Mine _as well! We have _no _choice, but to get where they can't find her."**

'I won't make her raise our child alone without the protection of the village!'

'**God damn whelp won't listen. Does he think I like this any more then he does!' **Kyuubi thought to himself. **"We have no other _choice_. Its send her away are just leave her here form them to find, _her and the pup._"**

'And force her to raise my son or daughter _alone_?'

"…**there is no other option."**

'…but'

"**Kit. Tell her."**

'… fine'

Sakura watched as something flickered behind her husband's guarded eyes, denoting his inner conversation. She had long ago learned of the conversations between him and his 'tenant'. After her initial shock at finding out her childhood teammate was the vessel for the ancient youkai Sakura had come to a wary truce with the knowledge of what Naruto had been forced to grow up with.

Upon seeing his eyes focus back on her she carefully leaned down to listen.

"sakura...need to…leave n-now…out…village to protect…from…" his words came out cracked and hoarse. Sakura winced inwardly at the strained sound in comparison to his normally bright and chipper voice.

"Shh, you need to stop talking and just try and heal yourself. There's no need for me to go anywhere we're safe here."

"N-no…need t-to leave…before." Naruto paused to suck in a deep breath before exhaling with a bloodied cough. "Before they come… Not safe where they can find you…rule #3 'member."

Naruto placed a pale, slightly trembling hand on her distended belly.

"Need to …k-keep safe…"

Sakura pressed her own hand over his, clinging to his scarred fingers.

"I'll be fine here there's no need to worry. I'll stay with my parents until you get better." Sakura's voice trembled, betraying her false confidence.

The corner of Naruto's lips rose slightly giving her a slight smirk as he recognized her stubborn refusal to admit the truth. He was dying. He knew it. She knew it. She just didn't want to face it. Not that he was too happy to face it either, but it was a fact and he needed to know that she would be safe when he was gone. He painstakingly pushed himself up with his free arm ignoring her protests for him to lie back down and conserve his strength. His other hand tensed briefly on her stomach emphasizing his need for her to agree.

"please Sakura trust me."

She hesitated. There were only a few times in here life time that Sakura had heard those words from Naruto and each time had been in life threatening situations. Once she had foolishly ignored his plea and near died because of the mistake. But now…she hesitated. Looking into his eyes she saw his earnest _appeal_ for her to listen.

"_All right…I promise." _Her words came out in a sobbed whisper, anything to get him to calm down again.

Unable to hold himself up any longer and full of relief at her agreement Naruto collapsed once again to the floor. Sakura began to panic as blood flowed rapidly from his wounds. When she started the seals to perform a healing Justsu he reached up to pull down one of her hands interrupting her concentration and banishing the chakra that had gathered in her hands back into her chakra system. Her face registered surprise as he brought her hand to clasp around a small crystal hanging from a thong around his neck.

Thoughts slipped from his mind as Naruto fought against the blackness closing in on him. Forcing his muscles to obey him Naruto made his lips curl into a loving smile.

"I love you Sa…ku…ra-chan."

"Naruto! NARUTO!" A scream tore from her throat as she clutched at the motionless body of her beloved.

&& End Flashback &&

&&&&& End Chapter &&&&&&


	2. Chapter 2

AN: This chapter is dedicated to my first reviewer Shangdoh. Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I love you soooo much!

Disclaimer: Don't own jack, let alone Naruto. Just Ayeka …so far… … - (but I have dreams)

Hail to Chythulu!

And on with the fic!

"Speak-a"

'Thoughts'

"_Inner voices"_

'_Inner peoples thoughts'_

&&&&Chapter 1 &&&&

Sakura sped through the deep woods of fire country heading for the border of Wave country. Leaping from branch to branch in a steady rhythm, a squirming bundle held in a sling against her front. On her back was a ninja mission pack, bearing as many of her possessions as she dared to bring with her. Sakura was covered in a black travel cloak to help hide her presence; the hood pulled low over her features. It would not do for her to be recognized now. The Hokage had seen to it that she would have a clear path out of the village, but there were still ninja out on missions that might notice her and report her movements to others back in Konoha. Attention would ruin the hasty deception arranged for her to able to leave the village unseen. A false corpse had been used to fool others of Sakura's death in child birth, along with her daughter. Tsunade would arrange small bundle would be buried along with the body to give the impression of a still born child. In the morning the village would morn for the loss of two of the leaf's elite ninja.

'Yes the tears will flow this morning.' Sakura thought to herself, but that didn't change the fact that she had to get out of the country before anyone took notice of the pink haired woman traveling with a new born child unaccompanied. The thought of raising the little bundle at her chest, alone was daunting to say the least. Her eyes misted, tears of grief that threatened to be her undoing if she let them. But she knew that if they fell now she would never make it to the border before morning. She couldn't give in yet, there was too much left to lose. Her newly arrived daughter squirmed in her sling, as if in protest to her mothers down sloping mood. Sakura swiped an arm quickly across her eyes to dissipate any gathering moisture.

'Rule No. 25, remember Rule 25. : Ninja must not shed a single tear during a mission. They must stay in control; a wrong move could mean the loss of a teammate's life, or their own.'

Her husbandhad beenkilled by men who excelled in taking advantage of the emotional turmoil of others. Hyuuga Neji had said that the Akatsuki were no more, but Sakura was taking no chances. There were fowler things hunting the countryside than S-class Nins. She shuddered. There were far too many people in the world that wanted the last of the Uzumaki family dead.

Sakura reached the border of Wave country as the first rays of sunshine came over the horizon. The light reflected off the waves to illuminate a great white stone bridge.

The Great Naruto Bridge, Sakura's lips twisted into a wry smile. Protecting the bridges designer was Team Sevens first big mission. And nearly their last. Her smile fell slightly. That was the first time Sakura had seen the truly great ninja hidden behind Naruto's happy-go-lucky front.

In hindsight she should have also have seen the dark obsession that drove the third member of Team Seven. No, Sakura shook her head; she had been too caught up in her hero worship of the broody Uchicha to really look at who he was. It took complete betrayal of the village before she had been able to let go of that obsession. Now he was one of the very people she had to hide from. The irony was not lost on her.

A whimper came from the bundle at her front. The sound reminded her that her new daughter was hungry and would soon begin loudly demanding to be fed. Sakura's smile returned with full force. Looking around she spotted a slightly hollowed area at the base of a tree. She set up some basic warning traps around the area to warn of anyone's approach. Putting down her pack, and sitting down against the tree trunk Sakura eased the squirming burden from her sling. Unbuttoning her shirt, she procured her breast for the child to latch onto. Sakura sighed at the sensation. Loud slurping noises rose from her newly enthused chest creature, but remarkably not a drop was lost.

"_Hmm, her father's eating habits"_' came the caustic comment from Inner Sakura.

'Yes, but at least she's cleaner the he was.' Sakura replied, gently taking hold a tiny baby fist resting against her other breast. Strangely enough her alter ego had mellowed out a lot in the later half of her pregnancy, a fact for which the baby's father had been very thankful.

"_She needs a name."_

Sakura shifted the child, stalling for time before replying.

'How about Naru?'

Inner Sakura sent a mental glare her way refusing to acknowledge that suggestion.

'Chi chi?'

Inner Sakura made a sound suspiciously like a snort.

'I like Sasami.'

Inner Sakura flared in anger.

"_No! Not a chance in hell! That brat who called us "glacial forehead" from the Academy was named Sasami. If you call her that she'll grow up to be a complete brat."_

'Hikaru?'

"_She'll have a nickname like 'Hic.' No."_

'Ino?'

"_That doesn't deserve a response."_

'Hinata?'

"_Oh, that would go well…Not!"_

'Fine…How about Ayeka?'

"_Of course no- …" Inner Sakura paused, and then nodded as if agreeing with herself. "Ayeka. Good name."_

Sakura smiled down at the now drowsing baby.

'Ayeka, Uzumaki Ayeka.'


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hell yeah two reviews my life is looking up today. Let's see if I can pump out another chapter real quick like. (Oh and if Sakura's character seems a little OOC that's on account of a little time flashing forward of twelve years, messing with by me. Yes that made sense and you know it.)

Disclaimer: don't own Naruto. Never have, doubt I ever will. sigh (mumbles about cruel people with no hearts). But, BUT I do own the original characters (a.k.a. the new happy pretty ones that I made up!) and they're all mine. Mine I Tell You! MINE!

"Speak-a"

'Thoughts'

"_Inner voices"_

'_Inner peoples thoughts'_

&&&&Chapter 2 &&&&&

"Ayeka! Ayeka it's time to get up."

Sakura idly tapped her foot waiting for a response from her twelve year old daughter. Upon receiving no discernable answer she walked up the short flight of stairs in her small two story cabin. At the head of the stairs she came to a short hall with three doors. Turning to the door on the right Sakura didn't bother to nock before entering Ayeka's room. Scanning the junk littered floor, her eyes came to rest on a sprawled form twisted in a set of sheets half torn from the small futon.

Ayeka slept face slack, mouth hanging partially open, a line of drool running down her cheek.

A minute tic formed at the corner of Sakura's temple. Annoyance flashed through her as Inner Sakura ranted about the injustice of the world, giving her so lazy a daughter. A small smirk worked its way on to her lips as an idea slipped past the raging alter ego. Out of seemingly nowhere an iron frying pan and a wooden ladle appeared in her hands. Creeping to the sleeping figure Sakura drew her hands apart. Ladle in one hand, pan in the other she brought the two clanging together three times in rapid succession.

Drawn from her pleasant dreams of chasing little furry creatures, Ayeka sat striate up. Attempting to throw the sheets from herself, to face her unknown, loud assailant, she ended up tangling her self within the cotton confines. A scowl crossed her face. Once again the world had turned against her at the most inopportune of moments. Wildly jerking her arm, trying to get it free, Ayeka lost her balance and rolled backwards off the futon, landing with a thump on the wood floor of her room. Stunned, she blinked up at her chuckling mother with a confused expression on her face. Tangled in white sheets, looking more like a mummy then a thirteen year old ninja-in-training, she paused and took notice of the objects in her mother's hands. Slowly, as the cogs in her mind processed this information and its implications, a pout formed on her features. Crossing her arms, as much as she could while lying on her back wrapped in sheets. Ayeka pursed her lips and furrowed her brows, her eyes shut to near slits, as she scrunched her nose at the smirking woman above her, protesting at the woman's obvious amusement.

Sakura was able to swallow her chuckle, but was unable to smother the smile that accompanied it at the site of her daughter's antics. The frying pan and ladle disappeared from her hands as magically as they had come. Placing her fists on her hips she softened her smile and raised an eye brow.

"So, are we awake now?"

Ayeka snorted, grumbling under her breath about cruel and vicious mothers, before grudgingly nodding her head in agreement.

Cocking a hand behind her ear in an exaggerated pose, Sakura took on a bemused expression.

"Hmm? I can't hear you. You must be still asleep. Oh well, I guess you really don't want to go to the ninja academy this year." Holding her hands, palm up, and shaking her head in feigned disappointment Sakura tuned to leave the room.

Ayeka's eyes shot open, she shot her hand out to grab her mother's ankle, or she tried to at least, having quickly forgotten her current incapacitated state.

"Wait! I'm awake, I'm awake!" she shouted, then mumbled under her breath "Geez, what a meanie."

Sakura didn't pause at her daughter's yelled protest, instead choosing to go back downstairs and finish making preparations for Ayeka's journey to Konoha.

"Well if you are awake, 'better get ready to go you're supposed to leave before noon and it's already 11:30."

Ayeka's face took on the look of a deer in the headlights, eyes wide and round, mouth slightly ajar.

'Shit!'

Ayeka struggled for a few moments before finally extracting herself from her cotton prison. Scowling at the offending cloth, she proceeded to throw off her baby blue pj's and toss them onto one of the many piles of stuff littering her room. Opening the trunk at the bottom of her futon, she rummaged through it looking for an outfit suitable for the beginning of her journey to Konoha.

Downstairs Sakura efficiently bustled around the kitchen, picking up thins seemingly at random and placing them in a worn brown back pack, on the table. Her once long pink hair, now dyed to a dark blonde, and gathered together in a small tie at the base of her neck. After twelve years of exile from her home in the hidden village of Konoha, Sakura's eyes had lost some of their luster. She still had that brilliant smile and strong attitude her husband once loved, but the years had worn down some of the spirit behind them. Life wasn't bad; it was just that happiness took a little more effort than it used to. Raising Ayeka was a full time mission, if Sakura hadn't had any help along the way she didn't know what she would have done. Of course when Gaara of the sand had shown up in wave country barely three months after she arrived, Sakura hadn't been all that appreciative at the time. If fact she had been rather pissed.

past events, flashback…sort of'

Upon finding Sakura's campsite Gaara had promptly told her to gather her things; they were leaving. Sakura had refused, saying that she was doing fine and she didn't need him or his help. Gaara ignored her protests as sand began to swirl around the camp packing things away to move. She stood clutching Ayeka to her chest, heart rate escalating. She had traveled so far only to be caught and forced to return to the village. No, she wouldn't allow it. Sakura had made a promise. She was an Uzumaki and shy would not break her word.

Sakura had tried to run, leaping into the trees, hoping to get away before Gaara noticed her missing. Praying he would stay distracted packing up her camp. There was nothing in there that couldn't be replaced. She hadn't gone fifty yards when Gaara materialized in front of her. She was immediately surrounded up to her waist by sand. It held her firmly but without squeezing her or Ayeka. Gaara's brows furrowed.

"Why do you run?"

Sakura scowled. "Why? You show up, unwanted. Tell me to get ready to leave. Try to force me to return to Konoha, and break my promise to Naruto. How Dare You! LET GO OF ME YOU BASTARD."

Sakura kept raising her voice ending up screaming at Gaara. She completely disregarded the voce in her head reminding her that it was dangerous to antagonizing the Sand Nin. Ayeka, woken from her afternoon nap, sensed her mother's distress, and confused, began to wail. Sakura unconsciously held her closer rubbing little circles on her back trying to calm Ayeka down.

Gaara was shocked, his face must have shown his surprise, halting Sakura in mid-rant. He spoke, barley understandable over Ayeka's cries.

"I don't intend to take you back to Konohagakure."

Now it was Sakura's turn to be shocked. Her breath came out in quick pants. "But- then why? How come- I don't- Then what the hell are you doing here?"

"…I found somewhere for you to stay."

The sand around her legs receded and returned to the gourds on his back. Gaara began walking back to her camp. After a moment of hesitation Sakura followed, rubbing Ayeka's back.

ok end flashback-ee thing

Sakura once asked Gaara why he had gone to the trouble of finding her only to find her a house to live in.

He had looked up at the harvest moon and without turning back to her said; "because he would have wanted me to."

There was no need to explain who 'he' was; both were still coming to terms with the eccentric blonde's death. Sakura inwardly shook her head as she remembered that confrontation. She had known Naruto had been close to the moody maroon haired boy, but she had not considered the depth of their friendship until she observed the lengths to which Gaara went to take care of her and Ayeka. He had found her this house and helped her settle into a life of hiding. Over time they had developed an easy friendship, working together to raise and train Ayeka. His responsibilities in Suna kept him away most of the time, but he made sure to come by every two-to-three weeks to check up on them. When Ayeka was four he had even begun training her in chakra manipulation, and how to use some of the 'gifts' she had inherited from her father.

'Naruto…'

Sakura pulled herself back from the mental path that came with thoughts of her husband. All these years and she still cringed at the memories of the night she left Konoha.

'sigh and now I'm sending Ayeka back, alone. Ugh I'd accompany her but Gaara said he would take care of it.'

"_Humph. Since when do we take orders from I-am-second-only-to-God Gaara?"_

'Since the Hidden Sound village allied with Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone villages. Not to mention the fact that 'we' can't beat him in a fight, fair or otherwise.'

"…_Like that's stopped us before,"_ mumbled Inner Sakura.

'That's not the point. Gaara will keep her safe, and we can't risk being recognized on the way. There is that little mater of us being 'dead'.'

"_I still think you should have put up more of a fight before giving in to his orders."_

Sakura choose to ignore her alter ego's last comment, lighting the stove to make Ayeka's morning dose of yakisoba. The girl ran on yakisoba like her father survived on ramen. Not that Ayeka didn't like ramen; she did, going so far as to consider it a close second.

'Perhaps diets filled with so much sodium accounts for the constant smiles.' Sakura mused.

It was true Ayeka seemed to have developed the same grin that her father was famous for. She always projected her emotions to the world around her, proclaiming to anyone who would listen about how she was going to be the greatest-ninja-ever. Ayeka had once told her mother that she wanted to grow up to be an incredible ninja just like her father. Of course this dream was not in any way discouraged by the tales of her father's bravery Sakura and Gaara had been telling her as bedtime stories since Ayeka was three. Ayeka especially like the stories her 'Uncle Gaara' would tell about Naruto's adventures as a Konoha Anbu.

'Uncle Gaara,' that always brought a smile to Sakura's face. That the Most feared Kazekage in three generations was practically a teddy bear around his adopted niece.

'Well…maybe not a teddy-bear, but sure as hell softer than normal.'

It was obvious Gaara doted on Ayeka, and she in return hero-worshiped him almost as much as she did her father. Where as when ever Sakura tried to teach her something she learned it only grudgingly. Chakra control practice wasn't as 'cool' as learning new jutsus and practicing with kunai. Ayeka also had no interest in learning medical techniques. Not that she didn't have the skill she just didn't have the patience and focus needed to be a medic. After two years of trying to force more that some basic Medical techniques into Ayeka's head Sakura had finally given it up as a lost cause (much to Ayeka's relief).

Spooning the finished yakisoba onto a plate and setting it on the table, Sakura looked through her old mission back pack, checking to see that everything was ready. Heavens knew Ayeka would be too keyed up about going to Konoha to remember to pack everything. Ayeka probably should have already been in the Konoha Ninja Academy, but Sakura had delayed as long as she could, wanting her to be ready to live alone in Konoha while she was training. It was way too dangerous for Sakura to go back to the village now. At least if Ayeka traveled alone, under a false clan name, she would be less of a target.

"_Speaking of our little miscreant," _mumbled Inner Sakura

Ayeka stumbled down the stairs, obviously still groggy, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Dressed in a pair of cut off cargo pants a turquoise tank top, and a black vest, Ayeka had used medical tape to strap a shuriken pack to her leg and an old kunai pouch to her belt in the back. Sakura gestured her to the seat in front of the yakisoba, brushing out Ayeka' waist length blonde hair while she ate. Two minutes of noodle slurping later Ayeka had finished off her breakfast. Her mother didn't even cringe at the noise anymore twelve long years of near unbearable table manners had almost completely inured her to the noise. Ayeka waited for her mother to finish tying her hair up in its customary pigtails and blue ribbons. She may not be as pretty as her mother, but Ayeka was proud of her single female vanity, ribbons. She turned around to face her mother when she received the small pat on the head to signal she was done.

"Do you have all you clothes together for me to pack?"

"Hai!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow and looked expectantly at her daughter, tapping her foot when Ayeka continued to sit there with a broad grin on her face.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Ayeka asked with a quizzical expression, masking her amusement at her mother's growing irritation.

"Well aren't you going to bring the down stairs for me to pack?"

"Bring what down?"

Sakura took a deep breath mentally counting to ten to keep her temper.

"Your clothes."

"Oh my clothes…what about them?"

Too late Ayeka noticed the fist coming down on her skull.

"Itai!" Ayeka hissed between clenched teeth. She sniffled and sent her mother a hurt look, clutching a quickly raising lump on her head.

"What was that for?" Ayeka asked indignantly.

Sakura stood poised with her fist cocked and a demonic expression on her face, radiating blood lust. Ayeka quailed at the suddenly giant form of her mother.

"Um… I'll just go get my stuff…yeah…going!"

Ayeka fled the kitchen.

Sakura returned to normal size, relaxing her face into a bemused expression. She chuckled.

'Yep, defiantly like her father.'

&&&& End Chapter &&&&

AN: Read and Review! I have more enthusiasm for updating instead of doing my homework when you do. Please point out mistakes you find and I will endeavor to avoid the in the future. Thank You. .

By the way looking for a Beta if anyone is interested. (The only friend I got who also does fan fiction differs with my opinion on where this story should go.)


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